Photodiode with self-aligned implants for high quantum efficiency and method of formation

ABSTRACT

A pinned photodiode with a pinned surface layer formed by a self-aligned angled implant is disclosed. The angle of the implant may be tailored to provide an adequate offset between the pinned surface layer and an electrically active area of a transfer gate of the pixel sensor cell. The pinned surface layer is formed by employing the same mask level as the one employed for the formation of the photodiode region, and then implanting dopants at angles other than zero degrees.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of provisional application Ser. No.60/478,348 filed Jun. 16, 2003, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor devices and,in particular, to improved photodiodes for high quantum efficiency.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The semiconductor industry currently uses different types ofsemiconductor-based imagers, such as charge coupled devices (CCDs),photodiode arrays, charge injection devices and hybrid focal planearrays, among others.

Because of the inherent limitations and expense of CCD technology, CMOSimagers have been increasingly used as low cost imaging devices. A CMOSimager circuit includes a focal plane array of pixel cells, each one ofthe cells including either a photodiode, a photogate or a photoconductoroverlying a doped region of a substrate for accumulating photo-generatedcharge in the underlying portion of the substrate. A readout circuit isconnected to each pixel cell and includes a charge transfer sectionformed on the substrate adjacent the photodiode, photogate orphotoconductor having a sensing node, typically a floating diffusionnode, connected to the gate of a source follower output transistor. Theimager may include at least one transistor for transferring charge fromthe charge accumulation region of the substrate to the floatingdiffusion node and also has a transistor for resetting the diffusionnode to a predetermined charge level prior to charge transference.

In a CMOS image sensor, the active elements of a pixel cell perform thenecessary functions of: (1) photon to charge conversion; (2)accumulation of image charge; (3) transfer of charge to the floatingdiffusion node accompanied by charge amplification; (4) resetting thefloating diffusion node to a known state before the transfer of chargeto it; (5) selection of a pixel for readout; and (6) output andamplification of a signal representing pixel charge from the floatingdiffusion node. Photo-generated charge may be amplified when it movesfrom the initial charge accumulation region to the floating diffusionnode. The charge at the floating diffusion node is typically convertedto a pixel output voltage by a source follower output transistor.

CMOS imaging circuits of the type discussed above are generally knownand discussed in, for example, Nixon et al., “256.times.256 CMOS ActivePixel Sensor Camera-on-a-Chip,” IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits,Vol. 31(12), pp. 2046-2050 (1996); and Mendis et al., “CMOS Active PixelImage Sensors,” IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 41(3), pp.452-453 (1994), the disclosures of which are incorporated by referenceherein.

A schematic top view of a semiconductor wafer fragment of an exemplaryCMOS sensor pixel four-transistor (4T) cell 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1.As it will be described below, the CMOS sensor pixel cell 10 includes aphoto-generated charge accumulating area 21 in an underlying portion ofthe substrate. This area 21 is formed as a pinned photodiode 11 (FIG. 2)formed as part of a p-n-p structure within a substrate 20. The pinnedphotodiode is termed “pinned” because the potential in the photodiode ispinned to a constant value when the photodiode is fully depleted. Itshould be understood, however, that the CMOS sensor pixel cell 10 mayinclude a photogate or other image to charge converting device, in lieuof a pinned photodiode, as the initial accumulating area 21 forphoto-generated charge.

The CMOS image sensor 10 of FIG. 1 has a transfer gate 30 fortransferring photoelectric charges generated in the charge accumulatingregion 21 to a floating diffusion region (sensing node) 25. The floatingdiffusion region 25 is further connected to a gate 50 of a sourcefollower transistor. The source follower transistor provides an outputsignal to a row select access transistor having gate 60 for selectivelygating the output signal to terminal 32. A reset transistor having gate40 resets the floating diffusion region 25 to a specified charge levelbefore each charge transfer from the charge accumulating region 21.

A cross-sectional view of the exemplary CMOS image sensor 10 of FIG. 1taken along line 2-2′ is illustrated in FIG. 2. The charge accumulatingregion 21 is formed as a pinned photodiode 11 which has a photosensitiveor p-n-p junction region formed by a p-type layer 24, an n-type region26 and the p-type substrate 20. The pinned photodiode 11 includes twop-type regions 20, 24 so that the n-type photodiode region 26 is fullydepleted at a pinning voltage. Impurity doped source/drain regions 22(FIG. 1), preferably having n-type conductivity, are provided on eitherside of the transistor gates 40, 50, 60. The floating diffusion region25 adjacent the transfer gate 30 is also preferable n-type.

FIG. 2 also illustrates trench isolation regions 15 formed in the activelayer 20 adjacent the charge accumulating region 21. The trenchisolation regions 15 are typically formed using a conventional STIprocess or by using a Local Oxidation of Silicon (LOCOS) process. Atranslucent or transparent insulating layer 55 formed over the CMOSimage sensor 10 is also illustrated in FIG. 2. Conventional processingmethods are used to form, for example, contacts 32 (FIG. 1) in theinsulating layer 55 to provide an electrical connection to thesource/drain regions 22, the floating diffusion region 25, and otherwiring to connect to gates and other connections in the CMOS imagesensor 10.

Generally, in CMOS image sensors such as the CMOS image sensor cell 10of FIGS. 1-2, incident light causes electrons to collect in region 26. Amaximum output signal, which is produced by the source followertransistor having gate 50, is proportional to the number of electrons tobe extracted from the region 26. The maximum output signal increaseswith increased electron capacitance or acceptability of the region 26 toacquire electrons. The electron capacity of pinned photodiodes typicallydepends on the doping level of the image sensor and the dopantsimplanted into the active layer.

Minimizing dark current in the photodiode is important in CMOS imagesensor fabrication. Dark current is generally attributed to leakage inthe charge collection region 21 of the pinned photodiode 11 and isstrongly dependent on the doping implantation conditions of the CMOSimage sensor. High dopant concentrations in electrical connection region23 (FIG. 2) typically increase dark current. In addition, defects andtrap sites inside or near the photodiode depletion region stronglyinfluence the magnitude of dark current generated. Dark current is aresult of current generated from trap sites inside or near thephotodiode depletion region; band-to-band tunneling induced carriergeneration as a result of high fields in the depletion region; junctionleakage coming from the lateral sidewall of the photodiode; and leakagefrom isolation corners, for example, stress induced and trap assistedtunneling.

A common problem associated with the pinned photodiode 11 of FIG. 2 isthe generation of dark current as a result of gate-induced drain leakage(GIDL) in transfer gate overlap region 27 (FIG. 2). The transfer gateoverlap region 27 is under gate 30 and permits an electrical connectionbetween the n-type photodiode depletion region 26 and the diffusion node25 when the transfer gate is turned on. As a result of the transfer gateoverlap region 27 (FIG. 2), an undesirable barrier potential might existin this region which further affects the full transfer of charge fromthe photodiode 11 when it is fully depleted.

To reduce this barrier potential, different masks can be used for theformation of the n-type photodiode region 26 and of the subsequentlyformed p-type pinned surface layer 24. For example, after the formationof the n-type photodiode depletion region 26 with a first mask, a secondmask is employed so that high doses of low energy p-type dopant areimplanted to form the p-type pinned surface layer 24. The second mask ispreferably offset from the edge of transfer gate 30 to reduce theundesirable barrier potential. At the same time, however, the secondmask must also have a good overlap in the field oxide region 15 for abetter hookup of the p-type pinned surface layer 24 to sidewall 16 ofthe field oxide region 15 and region 23. Thus, the second mask is ofcritical importance to the formation of the pinned layer and thereduction of the gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL), which furtheraffects dark current, in transfer gate overlap region 27. Maskmisalignment may occur as a result of using several masks and this, inturn, affects the physical and electrical properties of the pinnedlayer.

CMOS imagers also typically suffer from poor signal to noise ratios andpoor dynamic range as a result of the inability to fully collect andstore the electric charge collected in the region 26. Since the size ofthe pixel electrical signal is very small due to the collection ofelectrons in the region 26 produced by photons, the signal to noiseratio and dynamic range of the pixel should be as high as possible.

There is needed, therefore, an improved active pixel photosensor for usein a CMOS imager that exhibits reduced dark current and an offset regionwithin the transfer gate overlap region of the pixel sensor cell formedwithout incurring problems of mask misalignment which might affect pixelperformance. A method of fabricating an active pixel photosensorexhibiting these improvements is also needed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention provides a pinned photodiode with a pinnedlayer formed by a self-aligned angled implant. The pinned layer islaterally displaced from an electrically active area of a transfer gateof a pixel sensor cell by a predetermined distance. The angle of theimplant may be tailored to provide the adequate offset or thepredetermined distance between the pinned surface layer and theelectrically active area of the transfer gate of the pixel sensor cell.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of forming a pinnedsurface layer of a pinned photodiode by employing the same mask level asthe one employed for the formation of the photodiode region, andimplanting desired dopants at angles other than zero degrees.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be moreapparent from the following detailed description that is provided inconnection with the accompanying drawings and illustrated exemplaryembodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an exemplary CMOS image sensor pixel.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the CMOS image sensor ofFIG. 1 taken along line 2-2′.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a CMOS image sensor pixelillustrating the fabrication of a pinned photodiode in accordance withthe present invention and at an initial stage of processing.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a CMOS image sensorfragment of FIG. 3 at a stage of processing subsequent to that shown inFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a CMOS image sensor pixelof FIG. 3 at a stage of processing subsequent to that shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a CMOS image sensor pixelof FIG. 3 at a stage of processing subsequent to that shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 illustrates the dependency of the offset distance function of theangle of the implant.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a CMOS image sensor pixelof FIG. 3 at a stage of processing subsequent to that shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 illustrates the sensor pixel of FIG. 4 at a stage of processingsubsequent to that shown in FIG. 4 and in accordance with a secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a CMOS image sensor pixelof FIG. 9 at a stage of processing subsequent to that shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 illustrates the sensor pixel of FIG. 4 at a stage of processingsubsequent to that shown in FIG. 4 and in accordance with a thirdembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a CMOS image sensor pixelof FIG. 11 at a stage of processing subsequent to that shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a CMOS image sensor pixelof FIG. 11 at a stage of processing subsequent to that shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 illustrates a schematic diagram of a computer processor systemincorporating a CMOS image sensor fabricated according to the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown byway of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may bepracticed. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is tobe understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and thatstructural, logical and electrical changes may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The terms “wafer” and “substrate” are to be understood as asemiconductor-based material including silicon-on-insulator (SOI) orsilicon-on-sapphire (SOS) technology, doped and undoped semiconductors,epitaxial layers of silicon supported by a base semiconductorfoundation, and other semiconductor structures. Furthermore, whenreference is made to a “wafer” or “substrate” in the followingdescription, previous process steps may have been utilized to formregions or junctions in or over the base semiconductor structure orfoundation. In addition, the semiconductor need not be silicon-based,but could be based on silicon germanium, silicon-on-insulator,silicon-on-saphire, germanium, or gallium arsenide, among others.

The term “pixel” refers to a picture element unit cell containing aphotosensor and transistors for converting electromagnetic radiation toan electrical signal. For purposes of illustration, a representativepixel is illustrated in the figures and description herein and,typically, fabrication of all pixels in an imager will proceedsimultaneously in a similar fashion.

Referring now to the drawings, where like elements are designated bylike reference numerals, FIGS. 3-13 illustrate exemplary embodiments ofpixel sensor cells 100, 200, 300 (FIGS. 8, 10, 13) having respectivepinned photodiodes 199, 299, 399 (FIGS. 8, 10, 13) with pinned surfacelayer 188, 188 a (FIGS. 8, 10, 13) formed by either a straight or anangled implant.

FIG. 3 illustrates a substrate base 110 of a first conductivity type,which for exemplary embodiments is a p-type, along a cross-sectionalview which is the same view as in FIG. 2. The substrate base 110 may beprovided with the wafer. Instead of a substrate base 110 of the firstconductivity type, a base layer of a first conductivity type that isimplanted beneath the photodiode 199, 299, 399 by conventional methodsbefore or after the formation of photodiode may be employed. Forsimplicity, the substrate base 110 is provided with the wafer and isdescribed prior to the formation of the photodiode 199, 299, 399.Preferably, the substrate base 110 is a p-type epi substrate base 110having an active buried p+ concentration within the range of about1×10¹⁷ to 1×10¹⁹ atoms per cm³, more preferably within the range ofabout 5×10¹⁸ atoms per cm³.

A field oxide region 155 (FIG. 3), which serves to surround and isolatethe later formed pixel sensor cells 100, 200, 300 may be formed byetching trenches in the silicon substrate 110 and then filling thetrenches with oxide (STI), or by chemical vapor deposition of an oxidematerial, or by other known technique including a LOCOS process.

FIG. 3 also illustrates a multi-layered transfer gate stack 130 formedover the silicon substrate 110. Preferably, the multi-layered transfergate stack 130 has a height of about 400 Angstroms to about 4,000Angstroms. The transfer gate stack 130 comprises a first gate oxidelayer 131 of grown or deposited silicon oxide on the silicon substrate110, a conductive layer 132 of doped polysilicon or other suitablematerial, and a second insulating layer 133, which may be formed of, forexample, silicon oxide (silicon dioxide), nitride (silicon nitride),oxynitride (silicon oxynitride), ON (oxide-nitride), NO (nitride-oxide),or ONO (oxide-nitride-oxide). The first and second insulating layers131, 133 and the conductive layer 132 may be formed by conventionaldeposition methods, for example, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) orplasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), among many others.

If desired, a silicide layer (not shown) may be also formed in themulti-layered gate stacks 130, between the conductive layer 132 and thesecond insulating layer 133. Advantageously, the gate structures of allother transistors in the imager circuit design may have thisadditionally formed silicide layer. This silicide layer may be titaniumsilicide, tungsten silicide, cobalt silicide, molybdenum silicide, ortantalum silicide. The silicide layer could also be a barrierlayer/refractory metal such as TiN/W or WN_(X)/W or it could be entirelyformed of WN_(X). A photoresist layer 177 (FIG. 4) is next formed overthe substrate to a thickness of about 1,000 Angstroms to about 10,000Angstroms and patterned to obtain an opening 178 (FIG. 4) over thesubstrate between the transfer gate 130 and the field oxide region 155where a charge accumulation region is to be formed. As illustrated inFIG. 4, the photoresist layer 177 is patterned so that opening 178overlaps a part of the transfer gate 130 and the field oxide region 155.Thus, the photoresist layer 177 does not overlap the field oxide region155 over a first offset region A (FIG. 4) characterized by first offsetdistance D₁. The photoresist layer 177 is also patterned to overlap onlyover a part of the gate stack 130, and not over second offset region B(FIG. 4) measured from the right side of the gate stack of gate 130 andcharacterized by a second offset distance D₂ (FIG. 4).

A first dopant implantation 179 (FIG. 4) using a dopant of a secondconductivity type, which for exemplary purposes is n-type, is conductedto implant ions through the opening 178 (FIG. 4) in the area of thesubstrate directly beneath the active area of the pixel cell and to forman n-type buried region 126, as illustrated in FIG. 5. The implantedn-doped buried region 126 forms a photosensitive charge storage regionfor collecting photogenerated electrons. Ion implantation may beconducted by placing the substrate 110 in an ion implanter, andimplanting appropriate n-type dopant ions through the opening 178 (FIG.4) into the substrate 110 at an energy of 20 keV to 500 keV to formn-doped buried region 126. N-type dopants such as arsenic, antimony, orphosphorous may be employed. The dopant concentration in the n-dopedregion 126 (FIG. 5) is within the range of about 1×10¹⁶ to about 5×10¹⁷atoms per cm³, and is preferably within the range of about 3×10¹⁶ toabout 1×10¹⁷ atoms per cm³. If desired, multiple implants may be alsoused to tailor the profile of the n-doped region 126. These implants canbe advantageously angled as shown in FIG. 4, towards the transfer gate.

Next, the structure of FIG. 5 is subjected to a second dopantimplantation 189 (FIG. 5). The second dopant implantation is an angledimplantation with a dopant of the first conductivity type, which forexemplary purposes is p-type. This way, p-type ions are implantedthrough the second opening 178 (FIG. 5) into an area of the substrateover the implanted n-type region 126 and between the transfer gate 130and field oxide region 155, to form a p-type pinned surface layer 188 ofthe now completed photodiode 199 formed by regions 188, 110 and 126, asillustrated in FIG. 8. Thus, region 188 is spaced away from the portionof region 126 which is below gate 130.

For the purposes of the present invention, the term “angledimplantation” is defined as implantation conducted at incidence angleswith the substrate 110 other than 0 degree angles, where 0 degrees isperpendicular to the substrate 110. Thus, the term “angled implantation”refers to implantation conducted at incidence angles with the substrategreater than 0 degrees to less than 90 degrees.

It must be noted that an advantage of the method of the presentinvention is the fact that the formation of the p-type pinned layer 188does not require another photoresist layer and mask level to form region188. Instead, the formation of the p-type pinned layer 188 employs thephotoresist layer 177 used previously for the formation of the n-dopedregion 126. This is possible because the photoresist layer 177 waspatterned to allow overlap over the field oxide region 155 and thetransfer gate 130, except at the two offset regions A and B. Byeliminating a mask level, the invention provides a method of forming ap-n-p photodiode with a reduced number of processing steps.

Referring back to FIG. 5, surface photodiode implant 189 is conducted toimplant p-type ions, such as boron or indium, through the opening 178and to form the p-type pinned surface layer 188 (FIG. 6). The p-typepinned surface layer 188 is self-aligned to the edge of the transfergate 130 and the edge of the field oxide region 155 and displacedlateral to the transfer gate 130 by an offset distance D (FIG. 6). Theangle of the surface photodiode implant 189 may be tailored to achievethe desired offset D (FIG. 6) between the edge of the gate stack 130 andthe adjacent edge of the p-type pinned surface layer 188. The offsetdistance D (FIG. 6) may be about 100 to about 2,500 Angstroms, morepreferably of about 200 to about 1,000 Angstroms. Preferably, the angleof the surface photodiode implant 189 may be of about 3 degrees to about40 degrees.

The angle of the surface photodiode implant 189 is function of theoffset distance D₂ (FIG. 5) as well as a function of thickness T (FIG.5) of the photoresist layer 177 and of the height of the gate stack.Accordingly, the offset distance may be tightly controlled by theimplant angle. FIG. 7 illustrates, for one particular case, thedependency of the offset distance D as function of the implant angles.As depicted in FIG. 7, it is possible for example, to create a 0.10 μm(1,000 Angstroms) offset with a 21 degree angled implant and a stackheight of about 0.26 μm (2,600 Angstroms). The dopant concentration inthe p-type pinned surface layer 188 is within the range of about 1×10¹⁷to about 1×10¹⁹ atoms per cm³, and is preferably of about 5×10¹⁷ toabout 5×10¹⁸ atoms per cm³. If desired, multiple implants may be used totailor the profile of the p-type pinned surface layer 188. In FIG. 7,the photoresist is pulled back from the edge of the transfer gate bydistance D₂, so that the implant is self-aligned to the gate stack edge.In other cases, it is possible to have the implant self-aligned to theresist edge.

As a result of the angled implant, ion-implant channeling is alsoreduced in the photodiode 199 with pinned surface layer 188 as comparedto a conventional straight (90 degree) implant. This results in ashallow junction which is highly desirable. In addition, employing anangled implant for the formation of the pinned surface layer furtherensures the creation of hookup region 193 (FIG. 6) between the p-typepinned surface layer 188 and lateral edge 153 of the field oxide region155.

Subsequent to the formation of the pinned photodiode 199 (FIG. 6), thephotoresist layer 177 is removed by conventional techniques, such asoxygen plasma for example. An insulating layer 143 (FIG. 8) may beformed over the substrate continuous in the (x, y) direction, but notnecessarily continuous over the entire wafer. The insulating layer 143may be formed, for example, of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, siliconoxynitride, ON, NO, ONO or TEOS, among others, and to a thickness ofabout 100 Angstroms to about 2,500 Angstroms, more preferably of about200 Angstroms to about 1,000 Angstroms.

Although the above embodiment has been described with reference to theformation of the insulating layer 143 subsequent to the formation of then-type region 126 and of the pinned layer 188 of the photodiode 199, itmust be understood that the present invention has equal applicability toembodiments where the insulating layer is formed subsequent to theformation of the n-type region 126 but prior to the formation of thep-type pinned layer 188.

For example, FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate a second embodiment of thepresent invention according to which pixel sensor cell 200 (FIG. 10)comprises photodiode 299 (FIG. 10) which is similar in part to thephotodiode 199 of FIG. 8 but differs from it to the extent that p-typeregion 188 a of photodiode 299 (FIG. 10) is formed by a straightimplantation, and not by an angled implantation as in the firstembodiment. Accordingly, straight surface implant 189 a (FIG. 9) isconducted subsequent to the formation of the nitride or oxide spacer143. Thus, in the second embodiment, the p-type region 188 a of FIG. 10is offset from the electrically active area 132 of the transfer gatestack 130 by an offset distance “t” which represents the thickness ofthe oxide or nitride spacer 143. The offset distance “t” is about 100Angstroms to about 2,500 Angstroms, more preferably of about 200Angstroms to about 1,000 Angstroms which, as noted above, represents thethickness of the insulating layer 143.

FIGS. 11-13 illustrate yet another embodiment of the present inventionfor fabricating pixel sensor cell 300 (FIG. 13) comprising photodiode399 (FIG. 13) which is similar in part to the photodiode 199 of FIG. 8but differs from it to the extent that n-type region 126 a of photodiode399 is formed by an angled implantation, and not by a straightimplantation as in the first embodiment.

Referring now to FIG. 11, an angled dopant implantation 179 a using adopant of a second conductivity type, which for exemplary purposes isn-type, is conducted to implant ions through the opening 178 in aright-to-left direction and into the area of the substrate directlybeneath the active area of the pixel cell and to form an n-type buriedregion 126 a, illustrated in FIG. 12. As in the first embodiment, theimplanted n-doped buried region 126 a is self-aligned to the edge of thetransfer gate 130 and forms a photosensitive charge storage region forcollecting photogenerated electrons. The dopant concentration in then-doped region 126 a (FIG. 12) is within the range of about 1×10¹⁶ toabout 5×10¹⁷ atoms per cm³, and is preferably within the range of about3×10¹⁶ to about 1×10¹⁷ atoms per cm³. If desired, multiple angledimplants may be also used to tailor the profile of the n-doped region126 a.

The formation of the pinned layer 188 (FIG. 13) to complete theformation of the photodiode 399 (FIG. 13) and of pixel sensor cell 300(FIG. 13) may be conducted similarly to the formation of the pinnedlayer 188 or 188 a of FIGS. 8 and 10, respectively.

The devices of the pixel sensor cell 100, 200, 300 including the resettransistor, the source follower transistor and row select transistor arethen formed by well-known methods. Conventional processing steps may bealso employed to form contacts and wiring to connect gate lines andother connections in the pixel cell 100, 200, 300. For example, theentire surface may be covered with a passivation layer of, e.g., silicondioxide, BSG, PSG, or BPSG, which is CMP planarized and etched toprovide contact holes, which are then metallized to provide contacts tothe reset gate, transfer gate and other pixel gate structures, asneeded. Conventional multiple layers of conductors and insulators toother circuit structures may also be used to interconnect the structuresof the pixel sensor cell.

A typical processor based system, which includes a CMOS image sensoraccording to the invention is illustrated generally at 642 in FIG. 14. Aprocessor based system is exemplary of a system having digital circuitswhich could include CMOS image sensors. Without being limiting, such asystem could include a computer system, camera system, scanner, machinevision, vehicle navigation, video phone, surveillance system, auto focussystem, star tracker system, motion detection system, imagestabilization system and data compression system for high-definitiontelevision, all of which can utilize the present invention.

A processor based system, such as a computer system, for examplegenerally comprises a central processing unit (CPU) 644, for example, amicroprocessor, that communicates with an input/output (I/O) device 646over a bus 652. The CMOS image sensor 642 also communicates with thesystem over bus 652. The computer system 600 also includes random accessmemory (RAM) 648, and, in the case of a computer system may includeperipheral devices such as a floppy disk drive 654, and a compact disk(CD) ROM drive 656 or a flash memory card 657 which also communicatewith CPU 644 over the bus 652. It may also be desirable to integrate theprocessor 654, CMOS image sensor 642 and memory 648 on a single IC chip.

Although the invention has been described above in connection with afour-transistor (4T) pixel cell employing a transfer transistor having atransfer gate, the invention may also be incorporated into athree-transistor (3T) cell, a five-transistor (5T) cell, asix-transistor (6T) cell or a seven-transistor (7T) cell, among others.As known in the art, a 3T cell differs from the 4T cell by the omissionof the charge transfer transistor and associated gate, and the couplingof the n regions of the photodiode and the floating diffusion regionsthrough an overlap of the two or an n region bridging the two, which iswell known in the art. A 5T cell differs from the 4T cell by theaddition of a shutter transistor or a CMOS photogate transistor.

In addition, although the invention has been described above withreference to the formation of p-n-p photodiodes, the invention is notlimited to these embodiments. Accordingly, the invention also hasapplicability to photodiodes formed from n-p-n regions in a substrate.The dopant and conductivity types of all structures would changeaccordingly, with the transfer gate being part of a PMOS transistor,rather than an NMOS transistor as in the embodiments described above.

Further, although the invention has been described above with referenceto the formation of a photodiode having a self-aligned pinned layer andpart of a CMOS imager, the invention has equal applicability to theformation of a photodiode having a self-aligned pinned layer as part ofa CCD imager, a global shutter transistor, a high dynamic rangetransistor or a storage gate, among others.

The above description and drawings are only to be consideredillustrative of exemplary embodiments, which achieve the features andadvantages of the invention. Modification and substitutions to specificprocess conditions and structures can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not tobe considered as being limited by the foregoing description anddrawings, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

1. A photodiode for use in an imaging device, said photodiodecomprising: a charge collection region formed in a substrate of a firstconductivity type for accumulating photo-generated charge, said chargecollection region being of a second conductivity type and being adjacenta gate of a transistor formed over said substrate, said gatetransferring charge accumulated in said charge collection region to adoped region of said second conductivity type; and a doped layer of saidfirst conductivity type, said doped layer being laterally displaced froman electrically active portion of said gate by a distance.
 2. Thephotodiode of claim 1, wherein said distance is of about 100 to about2,500 Angstroms.
 3. The photodiode of claim 2, wherein said distance isof about 200 to about 1,000 Angstroms.
 4. The photodiode of claim 1,wherein said doped layer is adjacent and in contact with an isolationregion formed in said substrate.
 5. The photodiode of claim 1, whereinsaid first conductivity type is p-type and said second conductivity typeis n-type.
 6. The photodiode of claim 5, wherein said doped layer isdoped with a p-type dopant at a dopant concentration of from about1×10¹⁷ to about 1×10¹⁹ atoms per cm³.
 7. The photodiode of claim 6,wherein said doped layer has a dopant concentration of from about 5×10¹⁷to about 5×10¹⁸ atoms per cm³.
 8. The photodiode of claim 1, whereinsaid charge collection region is doped with an n-type dopant at a dopantconcentration of from about 1×10¹⁶ to about 5×10¹⁷ atoms per cm³.
 9. Thephotodiode of claim 1, wherein said photodiode is one of a p-n-pphotodiode or an n-p-n photodiode.
 10. The photodiode of claim 1,wherein said first conductivity type is p-type and said secondconductivity type is n-type.
 11. The photodiode of claim 1, wherein saidtransistor is at least one of a transfer transistor, a reset transistor,a global shutter transistor, a high dynamic range transistor or astorage gate.
 12. The photodiode of claim 1, wherein said imaging deviceis one of a 3T, 4T, 5T, 6T or 7T imaging device.
 13. The photodiode ofclaim 1, wherein said imaging device is a CMOS imager.
 14. Thephotodiode of claim 1, wherein said imaging device is a CCD imager. 15.An image pixel comprising: a gate structure of a transistor formed overa semiconductor substrate; and a photodiode adjacent said gate, saidphotodiode comprising a surface layer of a first conductivity type and adoped region of a second conductivity type located below said surfacelayer, said surface layer being laterally displaced from an electricallyactive portion of said gate by a distance of about 100 to about 2,500Angstroms.
 16. The image pixel of claim 15, wherein said surface layeris laterally displaced from said gate by a distance of about 200 toabout 1,000 Angstroms.
 17. The image pixel of claim 15, wherein saidsurface layer is doped with a p-type dopant at a dopant concentration offrom about 1×10¹⁷to about 1×10¹⁹ atoms per cm³.
 18. The image pixel ofclaim 17, wherein said surface layer has a dopant concentration of fromabout 5×10¹⁷ to about 5×10¹⁸ atoms per cm³.
 19. A CMOS image sensorcomprising: a semiconductor substrate; an isolation region formed withinsaid semiconductor substrate; and a pixel adjacent said isolationregion, said pixel comprising a photodiode adjacent a gate of atransistor, said photodiode further comprising a surface layer of afirst conductivity type and a doped region of a second conductivity typelocated below said surface layer, said surface layer being laterallydisplaced from an electrically active portion of said gate by a distanceof about 100 to about 2,500 Angstroms.
 20. The CMOS image sensor ofclaim 19, wherein said surface layer is laterally displaced from saidgate of said transistor by a distance of about 200 to about 1,000Angstroms.
 21. The CMOS image sensor of claim 19, wherein said surfacelayer is adjacent and in contact with said isolation region.
 22. TheCMOS image sensor of claim 19, wherein said first conductivity type isp-type and said second conductivity type is n-type.
 23. The CMOS imagesensor of claim 19, wherein said surface layer is doped with boron orindium.
 24. The CMOS image sensor of claim 19, wherein said surfacelayer is doped with a p-type dopant at a dopant concentration of fromabout 1×10¹⁷to about 1×10¹⁹ atoms per cm³.
 25. The CMOS image sensor ofclaim 24, wherein said surface layer has a dopant concentration of fromabout 5×10¹⁷ to about 5×10¹⁸ atoms per cm³.
 26. The CMOS image sensor ofclaim 19, wherein said photodiode is a p-n-p photodiode.
 27. The CMOSimage sensor of claim 19, wherein said photodiode is an n-p-nphotodiode.
 28. The CMOS image sensor of claim 19, wherein saidtransistor is one of a transfer transistor or a reset transistor.
 29. ACMOS image sensor comprising: a silicon substrate; a field oxide regionformed within said silicon substrate; and a pixel adjacent said fieldoxide region, said pixel comprising a p-n-p photodiode adjacent a gateof a transistor, said p-n-p photodiode further comprising a p-typesurface layer and an n-type doped region located below said p-typesurface layer and relative to said p-type surface layer, said p-typesurface layer being laterally displaced from said gate by a distance ofabout 100 to about 2,500 Angstroms.
 30. The CMOS image sensor of claim29, wherein said p-type surface layer is laterally displaced from saidgate by a distance of about 200 to about 1,000 Angstroms.
 31. The CMOSimage sensor of claim 29, wherein said p-type surface layer is adjacentand in contact with said field oxide region.
 32. The CMOS image sensorof claim 29, wherein said p-type surface layer and said n-type dopedregion are both located within a p-type doped region.
 33. The CMOS imagesensor of claim 29, wherein said p-type surface layer is doped with adopant at a dopant concentration of from about 1×10¹⁷to about 1×10¹⁹atoms per cm³.
 34. The CMOS image sensor of claim 33, wherein saidp-type surface layer has a dopant concentration of from about 5×10¹⁷ toabout 5×10¹⁸ atoms per cm³.
 35. The CMOS image sensor of claim 29,wherein said transistor is one of a transfer transistor or a resettransistor.
 36. A CMOS imager system comprising: (i) a processor; and(ii) a CMOS imaging device coupled to said processor, said CMOS imagingdevice comprising: a substrate; and a photo-collection region includinga first type material region at junction with a second type materiallayer, the first type material region being located at least under aportion of a gate of a transistor, said second type material layer beingspaced at a surface of said substrate from said first type materialregion by a distance of about 100 to about 2,500 Angstroms.
 37. The CMOSimager system of claim 36, wherein said first type material region is ann-type region and said second type material layer is a p-type layer. 38.The CMOS imager system of claim 36, wherein said transistor is one of atransfer transistor or a reset transistor. 39-73. (canceled)